Reid's words offered Aina some comfort. Watching the Zanzibar Class slowly dissolve into specks of light in the sky, she felt she hadn't completely failed after all. Her nerves relaxed all at once, and she slumped onto the armor of the Apsalus III, weeping uncontrollably.
But Reid's moment of kindness didn't last long before he had to play the villain again. He knew Aina's brother was still inside the cockpit, and the system hadn't yet registered the Apsalus III as capturable.
Given the Apsalus III's massive size, the current internal damage likely hadn't reached 70% of total impairment—even accounting for the two giant wrecking balls.
The only explanation was that Ginias Sahalin was still recognized as an active pilot.
So Reid gently nudged Aina aside with the NT-1 Gundam's finger, saying,
"Alright, if you're going to cry, don't do it sitting on the mobile suit. I know there's someone else in the cockpit. Since he won't come out, don't blame me for what happens next."
With that, Reid fired a full burst from the NT-1 Gundam's 60mm Vulcan Guns directly at the exposed cockpit.
Even at a suboptimal angle, the 60mm Vulcan rounds' sheer power meant ricochets alone would kill anyone inside.
Sure enough, the system immediately registered the Apsalus III as available for capture.
Though Reid thoroughly despised the Apsalus III's practicality, its technology had some unique merits—like the miniaturized Minovsky Particle Flight System (normally only viable on warships; this was an early-stage miniaturization, incomparable to later models like the Penelope), along with its central large-caliber MEGA Particle Cannon and long-range MEGA particle beam cannon technologies.
Moreover, Ginias Sahalin was the kind of deranged scum Reid could eliminate without a shred of guilt.
But Aina still held some affection for her brother. Witnessing her last remaining family member die, her sobs grew even more heart-wrenching.
By now, Angie and Noin had landed. Though they'd heard Reid's words (via team comms) and observed Aina's actions after exiting her mobile suit, they still couldn't fully grasp why she was weeping like a child.
Angie, who'd taken a liking to Aina after her plea to cease fire for the wounded, asked,
"Reid, what's wrong with Aina Sahalin? She's a proper soldier, right? What did you do to break her down like this?"
Reid didn't hide the truth. "This unit had two pilots. Aina Sahalin surrendered, but her brother Ginias Sahalin didn't. He tried rebooting the mobile suit to resist, so I shot him down."
Hearing this, Angie and Noin immediately understood the situation.
Neither woman found Reid's actions objectionable—he'd given them a chance to surrender, and resisting afterward warranted lethal force.
Yet as Angie watched Aina's grief, she recalled her own abandonment by her nation and the loneliness that followed. Sympathizing deeply with Aina Sahalin's plight, she spoke up again:
"I see, Reid. Let's settle Aina Sahalin properly before we leave. She's lost her family now and must be feeling utterly helpless. And with the Earth Federation Forces still active nearby, if a girl like her gets captured, the outcome would likely be tragic."
Reid actually had no objection to helping Aina Sahalin again, even though he had personally killed her lover, father-like elder, and brother.
Though Reid felt no remorse, his heart wasn't completely cold. Even if it was hypocritical kindness, he was willing to show Aina Sahalin some compassion.
Moreover, the maximum duration for this operation was still 24 hours. From the moment their team was deployed until now, only a little over an hour had passed since the battle ended. There was plenty of time left to take Aina Sahalin away from the warzone.
So Reid agreed over comms:
"Alright, Angie, you can help her. But I won't come down and show myself. After all, I just killed her brother."
"And when you go down, disarm her immediately. If she makes any suspicious moves, I'll shoot without hesitation—better safe than sorry. Because you're the most important person to me."
Truth be told, Reid said this without any ulterior motive; he simply wanted to emphasize Angie's safety.
But being called "the most important person" made Angie blush, silently cursing Reid for dropping such sweet talk at an inappropriate time—especially with Noin listening on squad comms. Besides, Reid was too dense and didn't understand women's emotions well, often missing subtle cues from the women around him.
Still, Angie wouldn't call him out now. She just replied, "Got it," then piloted the Union Flag to kneel halfway before opening the cockpit and jumping straight down.
Reid found this scene rather absurd. Even when kneeling, the Union Flag's cockpit was still three or four meters off the ground, yet Angie landed effortlessly without even rolling to cushion the impact.
If Reid had jumped like that, he might not have broken his legs, but his muscles would've been numb for a while.
Fortunately, Aina was too grief-stricken to notice.
And when Angie followed Reid's orders to disarm her, Aina offered no resistance, behaving unusually docile.
However, when Angie later asked if she had somewhere safe to go, Aina requested to be taken to someone named Shiro Amada (his real name, registered in military records)—a lieutenant in the Earth Federation Forces and leader of the 08th MS Team.
Reid figured it was better to rip the bandage off quickly. If they took Aina Sahalin to safety only for her to return to the Earth Federation Forces and seek out Shiro Amada, she'd be walking right into a trap, rendering their rescue pointless.
So Reid broadcasted over external speakers:
"If you're talking about the leader of the 08th Team, he's already dead. He died together with the B3 Type Gouf."
Reid deliberately omitted how the two had died to avoid piling fresh hatred onto old grudges—lest Aina Sahalin tried to attack him barehanded in a fit of rage.
Upon hearing this, Aina Sahalin's face turned ashen, and she kept murmuring, "How could this be... how could this be..."
For her, her boyfriend and a father-like elder had died together. She assumed they had perished together—as for Reid lying? Under these circumstances, what purpose would this Gundam pilot have for lying?
Angie took one look at Aina and was instantly reminded of her own state when she had first been sent to Arzenal. Anger flared up inside her. Without hesitation, she grabbed Aina, slapped her across the face, then threw her to the ground and roared:
"Who are you putting on this act for?! I've been through that feeling of having no one to rely on, that helplessness. But what good are tears and talking to yourself? This is just running from reality! Pull yourself together and stand strong by your own will. You don't need to depend on anyone!!"
These words—Angie might as well have been speaking to her past self, wallowing in self-pity. That's why they came from the heart.
Aina was stunned by the slap, but it did snap her out of it somewhat. At the very least, her expression was no longer completely lifeless.
After delivering the blow, Angie immediately used the Union Flag's arm to leap back into the cockpit. Before closing the hatch, she said:
"I'm going to get you away from this battlefield so you don't get captured by the Earth Federation. If you still want to live, climb onto my Gundam's hand later."
--Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LegendaryTL
Thanks!